Jun Yelan summoned Lüqi and wrote a note on the table. He said coldly, "Give this to the Saintess and tell her to behave herself for now." If the Saintess weren't still useful, he would have killed her long ago.
"Yes, City Lord," Lüqi took the note and withdrew.
Only Jun Yelan remained in the hall, looking at the incense burner in front of him. He turned his head to look at the darkening sky outside the window and then inadvertently glanced at a corner of the hall. Why hadn't she come today?
He recalled the events of the day and concluded she must have been scared of him. He stood up, glanced at the incense burner one last time, and walked into the inner room. Lan Yan was no different from everyone else.
At this moment, Lan Yan was still in the back hall. Due to Qiu Ju's interference today, her incense making was incomplete. Worried that Jun Yelan would not sleep well tonight, she had given him the semi-finished product.
However, she had to hurry to make the finished product so that Jun Yelan could sleep well in the future.
The next morning, Jun Yelan woke up with a displeased expression. He hadn't heard that breathing sound last night and had been restless all night. He walked into the hall, looking at the empty corner, his eyes darkening.
Footsteps sounded. He withdrew the coldness from his body and looked at the person behind him, the coldness surging back. It wasn't Lan Yan!
Lüqi placed the teacup down. This was from Lan Yan, who had just asked her to deliver it. "City Lord, this morning's tea."
Jun Yelan didn't move, his entire presence exuding an aura of inaccessibility. He said coldly, "Your task has changed now."
Hearing this, Lüqi stood respectfully to the side and said, "City Lord, Lan Yan was making incense for you all night. She was worried about delaying your morning tea, so she asked me to help."
Jun Yelan paused, not responding to Lüqi, and walked directly to the back hall. He didn't enter but stood at the doorway, watching the person inside yawning.
"Oh dear, not enough of this medicinal herb again," Lan Yan said, supporting the incense burner and looking distressed. She really wanted to beat Qiu Ju again; she was so disruptive.
She stood up, preparing to go to the medicine field to pick more.
Jun Yelan instructed Lüqi behind him, "Go and help her. Give her whatever she needs." He went to his room, retrieved several boxes, and handed them all to Lüqi.
Lüqi sensed the City Lord's unusual attention to Lan Yan. She walked in with the boxes, blocking Lan Yan's path as she was about to leave.
"Lüqi, where did you get these?" Lan Yan said, needing them just then.
Lüqi was about to say it was from the City Lord, but catching Jun Yelan's gaze, she changed her words, "These have always been here. I found them for you."
"Thank you," Lan Yan said, taking the boxes. She found they contained precious medicinal herbs. As she ground them into powder, she murmured, "Now the City Lord can sleep well."
Jun Yelan, standing outside the door, happened to hear this. A trace of warmth spread through his heart. He covered the area on his chest, and instead of sharp pain, he felt a refreshing sensation, like clear river water flowing through him in the summer.
The coldness in his eyes dissipated, and he turned back into the hall.
Lan Yan finally succeeded in making the finished product. When she took it to the hall, she saw Jun Yelan already asleep, leaning back in his chair, with the incense burner she had given him burning on the table.
The corners of her lips turned up. She placed the newly made incense on the table and then sat down quietly.
She propped her head with one hand, turning to look at Jun Yelan's face, from his forehead to his lips. She noticed his raven hair cascading down like silk and wondered what illness could cause hair to change color.
Jun Yelan half-opened his eyes but did not wake up. He saw Lan Yan's every move.
Lan Yan had no clues yet. It seemed she needed to learn more about the Dead City and Jun Yelan's past, and Lüqi appeared to know quite a bit. She got up to find Lüqi.
Behind her, Jun Yelan woke up and looked at the new items on the table. He opened them, placed the contents in his palm, and stared at them intently.
Lan Yan couldn't find Lüqi in the back hall, nor in the maids' rooms. "Strange, where did she go?" She walked aimlessly through the garden and saw Lüqi squatting on the ground, with a burning brazier in front of her.
She was about to go over when she saw several maids rush towards Lüqi ahead of her.
The maids stood in front of Lüqi, kicked over her brazier, and mocked, "Lüqi, this is the Dead City. Who allowed you to burn paper! They say the City Lord brought you here, but you're nothing special."
"You don't know martial arts, nor strategy, nor enchantments. How do you survive here?" They had all followed Qiu Ju before because of her capabilities.
But now that Qiu Ju had committed an offense and was punished by the City Lord, they had become bored and targeted Lüqi. Another reason was her association with Lan Yan.
Lüqi continued to look at them indifferently, then lowered her head to right the brazier and resume burning.
Among the maids, one knew martial arts. She walked behind Lüqi, intending to use some means. But in the next moment, they were all hit on the forehead by pebbles. They looked at the empty garden and shouted, "Who's there!"
Terrifying wolf howls echoed from the surroundings. They looked at each other and immediately fled in fear.
Lan Yan emerged, putting her slingshot away. She walked to Lüqi's side and helped her clean up.
Lüqi looked at Lan Yan and said, "No need to clean up. I've finished burning. Today is actually the anniversary of my sister's death, and I miss her."
Lan Yan wasn't good at comforting people, so she patted Lüqi's shoulder.
Lüqi showed a faint smile. "It's alright. It's been many years. By the way, did you need something from me?" She looked at Lan Yan's face, which was so much like her sister's.
"I guess you want to ask about the City Lord. You heard just now that everyone in this city has some ability or other. To become the City Lord, you need to possess all these skills."
"All I know is that the City Lord has been here from the very beginning, unlike others who were brought in. He was born here and will die here."
Lan Yan's pupils contracted slightly. Jun Yelan's past was even more tragic than she had imagined.
Lüqi pointed to a corner behind the garden. "That's the training ground. If you're interested, you can take a look to understand the person you want to know better." After speaking, she turned and left, taking the brazier with her.
She had already said too much today.
Lan Yan walked towards the place Lüqi indicated, which was a dark area. It was a corner formed by piled rockeries. Opening the door in front, she felt a chilling aura.
She lit a fire starter and walked inside. It was a long corridor, so she first examined the walls.
The walls bore many different marks, some like claw marks, some like impact marks, and some like bloodstains left many years ago. She moved closer to the wall to get a better look when a loud bang suddenly came from behind her.
She turned her head and looked at the door that had been closed by the wind, feeling utterly helpless. It was too late, and who would come to this place now!
Outside the door, Jun Yelan was walking over.